Skip to main content

Candle Making by Hand-Dipping

By

You could argue that this post doesn't belong on my kitchen blog...it's more of a Maker Manns thing. Fair enough. But it was done in my kitchen, with my stove, with my pots, with my knives and my kitchen twine, and I sacrificed the Bodom glass out of my French press. So, I'm still calling it a culinary adventure!

Two of our best friends had mentioned wanting to come over and make candles. They had the wax and the wicks. So, on the first full day of Christmas break from school (last night), Jake picked them up and I rushed home from work to make dinner - jasmine rice, beetroot and pumpkin curry, and mekaral salad. That's for another post. Back to candle making....

After our Sri Lankan-themed dinner, we cranked up the Christmas tunes and went to work.

Materials

  • wax
  • wicks (at first we used some pre-fabricated wicks they brought, then we moved to my 100% cotton kitchen twine)
  • knife for chipping the wax into small pieces
  • tall canister, either tempered glass or metal ,that will fit inside another pot
  • pot
  • water
  • bucket

Procedure
Place your wax chips in a tall container that can withstand heat. As I mentioned, I used my Bodum glass. Place that container in a pot of water where the water comes up about half way on the canister. Heat gently until the wax chips melt.

Have a bucket of water near your work area.

Hold the wick by one end and dip it in the hot wax. Dip it into the cold water. Repeat.



That's all there is to it...


Then hang them somewhere to harden completely.


D and I made small candles to put on his birthday cake next week. And, I think, everyone had a good time. We'll definitely do it again soon.



Have you ever hand-dipped candles? Would love some tips on how to add color and fragrance.
Labels:

Comments

  1. A Day in the Life on the FarmDecember 20, 2014 at 4:04 PM

    I didn't realize you had another blog. I don't know where you find the time.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Quick Pickled Red Onions and Radishes

By
If you've been reading my blog for even a short amount of time, you probably know how much I love to pickle things. I was just telling a friend you can pickle - with vinegar - or you can ferment - with salt - for similar delicious effect. The latter has digestive benefits and I love to do that, but when I need that pop of sour flavor quickly, I whip up quick pickles that are ready in as little as a day or two. I've Pickled Blueberries , Pickled Asparagus , Pickled Cranberries , Pickled Pumpkin , and even Pickled Chard Stems ! This I did last night for an upcoming recipe challenge that requires I include radishes. Ummmm...of course I'm pickling them! Ingredients  makes 1 quart jar radishes, trimmed and sliced organic red onions, peeled and thinly sliced (I used a mandolin slicer) 3/4 C vinegar (I used white distilled vinegar) 3/4 C water 3 T organic granulated sugar 1 T salt (I used some grey sea salt) 6 to 8 grinds of black pepper Proce
1 comment
Read more

Aloo Tiki {Pakistan}

By
To start off our Pakistani culinary adventure, I started us off with aloo tiki - potato cutlets. I'm always game for tasty street food. I found a couple of different recipes and incorporated those together for this version. Ingredients 6-8 small red potatoes, scrubbed 1 T cumin seeds 1 T fresh chopped parsley 1/2 t ground coriander 1 t minced garlic Procedure Boil the potatoes until they are tender. Drain and let cool. Mash the potatoes. Traditionally they are mashed without their skins. I left the skins on. In a small pan, toast the cumin seeds on high heat until the begin to give off an aroma and begin to darken. Remove from heat and transfer to a plate to keep them from cooking any more. Blend all of the spices into the mashed potatoes, then shape into small patties. If you wet your hands, the potato mixture won't stick to them. Heat a splash of oil in a large, flat-bottom pan. Dip each patty into beaten egg and carefully place in the oil. P
9 comments
Read more

Meyer Lemon Custard-Filled Matcha Turtles #BreadBakers

By
#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely bread by following our  Pinterest board  right here. Links are also updated after each event on the  Bread Bakers home page .  We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. This month Stacy of Food Lust People Love  is hosting and she wrote: "Your bread can be large, as in one big animal, or small - animal-shaped rolls. Use your imagination! Points for flavor and shape!" If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send an email with your blog URL to Stacy at foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com. Here's the animal-shaped bread basket from the #BreadBakers... Beef and Sweet Onion Dim Sum Pandas from Karen's Kitchen Stories Bird Bread Rolls from Ambrosia Easter Bunny Buns from Cook with Renu Ham and Cheese Elephant Rolls from Food Lust People Love Hedgehog Bread from Making Mir
15 comments
Read more